ALTHOUGH she’s only been painting for less than 10 years Amber Martin is thrilled that she’s about to achieve her dream and exhibit work in the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.
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Ms Martin said 25 of her original paintings and limited edition prints would be on exhibition there from October 1.
“It’s a dream to be able to do it ... finally I’ve made it,” Ms Martin said.
Her drive to the Longreach-based Hall of Fame will be sponsored by contracting company Minebiz, in an effort to offset some of the costs associated with being a full-time artist.
Ms Martin paints using a combination of boot polish and acrylic paint and her work has been on display in a number of different venues including Bathurst’s GT Angus Bar and Grill and at the Deniliquin Ute Muster.
She also painted the dust cover for a book on the history of RM Williams.
Ms Martin said she was inspired to paint outback scenes after spending a lot of time working on the land after leaving the army in 1996.
During her time in the Australian outback Ms Martin took many photographs which would eventually inspire her artwork.
By the time she moved to Orange in 2005 she was already painting rural scenes as a hobby.
“I call them [the photographs] snapshots of my life, they’re shots of things you normally take for granted,” she said.
In fact hats and boots feature prominently in many of Ms Martin’s paintings.
Despite a love of the outback Ms Martin has now started producing paintings with an army theme and recently won a national competition for army-related art.
She’s also been commissioned to paint a number of canvasses depicting different trades within the Royal Australian Engineers Regiment and she hopes to one day get a job as a war artist.
While initially the job would be desk based, Ms Martin said she wouldn’t mind an overseas posting.
“I’d actually really like to go, I think it would be a great experience ... and I’d really like to go back to the army,” she said.
“For me that’s where I want to be and I’m really passionate about it.”
Until she fulfils her dream of rejoining the army Ms Martin will continue to be a full-time artist.
“I admit it’s been a struggle this year and I’ve been working hard to get my paintings ready for the exhibition,” she said.
In fact when she’s not spending time with her 10-year old son Jacob she’s painting, sometimes until 2am.
However she admits painting is her passion and she can’t believe the experiences she’s had as a result of her talent.
In fact next year she will be one of 12 artists to exhibit in the Musée du Louvre in Paris.
